A Few of My Favorite Things
by xRYDERx
Summary: As part of their training the team is split into groups of two and are forced to bond with one another with 10 simple questions. Though not so simple in a certain Kryptonians case.
1. Mission Impossible

**Welcome to my first DC/YJ story. Take a load off and enjoy the odd crap I'm gonna throw at you in this 10 chapter fic. Actually, it started off as a one-shot, but somehow I thought it would be better if it was separated into 10 short chapters. So anyway continue reading and tell me if you like it and whatever.**

**Hehe also I didn't edit this at all cuz I'm distracted with being sick so if you see something(fact/spelling/grammar/etc...) you can tell me and I'll adjust it. Thanks and enjoy!**

The Boy Wonder couldn't help but stare back at his much (oh so much) larger teammate. Superboy's eyes were so full of heated discontentment (heavy on the dis) he could swear that Superman's heat vision was finally passing on to the clone. Of course, it may be the fact that the questions that had previously slipped out of Robin's mouth had been a bit too… Personal? No, that wasn't quite the word. It couldn't be personal, seeing as Supey wasn't really a person. No, that was wrong too.

Superboy may not have been "born" per se, but he was just a real as everyone else in the world. He had five digits on his hands and feet (two of each appendage of course), a pair of eyes (a radiant blue) and the same organs as everyone else. The clone was much rougher than most, but if anyone had a reason to be so uptight and aggravated every second of the day, it was the young Kryptonian sitting across the table from the young member of the Bat Family.

Robin glanced at the glaring clone over his sheet of paper.

"Maybe we should just-"

"No," Superboy growled, his voice gravely and strained. Robin knew he was at least trying. "It's… fine."

"Are you-"

"I'm sure!"

"Alright alright. No need to get testy," the Boy Wonder mumbled, pushing his shades into place, although they hadn't moved at all. He just needed to do _something_ with his hands. "Question 6: Favorite…" Robin paused, uneasy of the blue eyed teen's reaction. "F-Favorite Ice Cream Flavor?"

It wasn't that Robin was fearful of Superboy's destructive ability. No, he had seen that firsthand, felt it firsthand. It honestly wasn't that big of a deal. For the most part anyway. What really bothered Robin about their new "Team Exercise" that had been assigned to them, was the fact that he knew Superboy didn't really have any favorites yet. It had already been about three months since they'd found a glowing God-like Superclone in the low levels of Cadmus labs, but for some reason he noticed that Superboy still hadn't received a proper name, nor had he been out much; unless you counted missions and the very few times they had gone to the beach… Which he didn't.

The clone crossed his arms over his chest, crumpling his sheet of paper with the same print as Robin's, and sneered while looking away. "Don't have one."

"So then we've established you don't have a favorite color, animal, book, band, superhero, or ice cream. Good progress I suppose," the young teen mumbled.

Another groan escaped Superboy's lips and Robin frowned. Superboy was his friend, right? Of course they were friends! So it was up to the Boy Wonder to help the poor seven month-old clone to discover these favorites.

"All right," Robin chirped happily, standing from his lotus position on the floor and stretching. "Let's go."

"Come again?" the clone cocked a brow in his teammate's direction.

"Let's go," he repeated, checking his back pocket to be sure he had his wallet for the twelfth time that day. Robin tucked his hands into the pocket of his blue hoodie and began to exit the living room of Mount Justice. He stopped at the entrance to the hallway and looked back at his younger yet larger team member and gave him a reassuring smile. "Well? What're you waiting for: a written invitation?"

"I don't understand," Superboy almost whined, his brows furrowed in frustration. In Robin's opinion, he resembled a child. When the clone didn't know something, he became frustrated and stubborn. "Our 'mission' is to remain here and-"

"Our mission was to learn more about another member on our team. No one said we had to stay here," the Boy Wonder smirked childishly. "Besides, you've been cooped up in the cave for so long you're starting to look like a vampire."

"A… vampire?" the clone mused.

"Yup," robin nodded. "So we're gonna get you some sun and some perspective."

"Well," Superboy trailed off, unsure or what to say or do.

"Come on, Supey," Robin taunted, walking over to the confused teen and taking his hand. "You were underground for the first sixteen weeks of your life, then another twelve. We freed you so you could experience the life Cadmus never would have given you. Don't you want to live?"

Previously, the technically younger of the two would not meet his partner's glance, but now he couldn't look away. Robin's eyes were, of course, protected by glasses, but he knew they were staring right back at him, just as cheerful and childish as the smile he was currently wearing.

"Well, it's not like there's anything better to do," Superboy agreed after a moment of silence between the two sideki-heroes. Not to mention the silence in his brain.

"Great, then we're outta here!" Robin cheered, pulling the larger teen off the couch and out out of Mount Justice.

"Aah," the teen took a deep breath through his nose and sighed as they exited out of the mountain and into the green landscape opposite the beach. "Just smell that fresh air."

Superboy noticed Robin looking at him expectantly. He didn't know why, so he just sniffed at the air nonchalantly.

"See? Isn't it better already?"

" I guess," the clone looked away, not having much else to say. His creators hadn't planned on him being in the position he was currently in, so they had never thought to give him preferences. For a moment, the clone wondered if he _could _have preferences or if perhaps he truly was an unfeeling weapon of destruction.

"Okay, Supes, first on this list: Favorite color," the Boy Wonder read aloud. His head darted in every direction before he took Superboy's wrist in his much smaller hands and ran out of the greenery surrounding their HQ. The town of Happy Harbor, Rhode Island lay before them. It was peaceful for the time being, and the weather was what most humans described as _'perfect.' _The sky was clear, save for a few small groups of clouds, the sun shone brightly in the brilliant blue sky, and seeing as it was the point between summer and autumn, and the breeze from the beach swept the entire town, the air wasn't quite as humid as one would expect.

"So, see any colors you like?" the smaller teen asked.

Superboy raised a brow at Robin's expectant tone. So he was just supposed to look around and pick a color to, what, represent him or something? Why were Earth teenagers so odd and opinionated?

But Robin still smiled at him obnoxiously, like he could just choose a color. Well, he might as well. It's not like it really mattered. Maybe if he chose a color this odd expedition could finally be over, so he just looked around. Let's see…

They began walking down the street, eyes traveling to all the dull and vibrant hues in their surroundings.

"Well, Supes, take your pick," the smaller teen practically sang. Like it was that easy? "What about… green?" he asked, hopefully.

Superboy tore his eyes away from the sky to spare the grass beside the sidewalk as they continued walking with no particular destination in mind.

"Like the grass?" Superboy didn't have to look know his partner had nodded. "No."

"Why not," the Boy Wonder asked incredulously. "Is there something wrong with green? I mean it's the color of the grass, the leaves-"

"Money, greed, toxic waste, types of poison, Kryptonite," Superboy continued, his anger bubbling a bit. Humans were vicious people who stole and polluted, turning their oceans from their vibrant azure to a dreary, sickly swamp green. And then there was that awful Kryptonite that rendered his, well Superman's race, useless.

The clone looked back down at the teenager at least half his size and tilted his head a bit. Robin's arm was raised so he could rub his neck: A normal human behavior for one who felt uneasy. He wondered if it was his fault Robin was nervous. Had he said or done something wrong? Then he noticed Robin's ensemble and grabbed at the young boy's clothing, lifting him off the ground so that they were face to face.

"Umm… Something troubling you big guy? Not feeling the aster, are you?" Robin pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and held it there so they wouldn't fall. He ignored the looks people on the street were giving them and noticed the young clone's cerulean eyes staring at the hoodie he wore to hide his obvious muscles that no 13 year old boy belonged having and tilted his head. "You… you like the color of my hoodie?"

Superboy put Robin down and shrugged. "I don't hate it," he mused, turning to walk away.

"Great!" the former sidekick cheered, removing the paper with the questions from his jacket pocket. "So Superboy's favorite color is blue. That wasn't so hard now was it?"

One of Superboy's brow rose and he gave Robin, who was now in front of him walking backwards, a small smirk. He knew the Batman's protégé was intelligent, flexible, and stealthiest and all around the best sidek- no- hero in training on their team with what he heard was at least three years of going up against baddies under his belt. However no one had told him about this side of the Boy Wonder. Sure when he was with Wally he was incredibly playful, and he was sure he was basically the same with everyone else on the team as well.

_So then why is it that I feel like I'm getting some kind of special attention?_ He asked himself while following behind the young teen, eyes focused intently on his back.

Robin gave off that famous cackle of his, alerting Superboy of their current surroundings. The young bird stood in front of a small shop that Superboy was sure he'd never been to, and his thumb pointed up at the sign above the store.

"Happy Harbor Pet Store?" the clone mumbled, following Robin into the quaint little shop.

**So if you're wondering why they're at a pet store then boy, I guess you weren't paying attention. Must be because I'm a bad writer? Oh well I'm gonna keep writing anyway. So I actually was wondering if anyone who reads this story would help me out. So far I have 6/10(as you can see) of the questions and need 4 more. Doesn't have to be "favorite" but it is preferred. Also I'm currently thinking if anyone has suggestions for Superboy's favorite book, ice cream and band I would love to hear it, cuz I know how they'll figure it out, but not what it will be exactly. So any suggestions? Just review and I'll use what I think is good. **

**One more thing, I would want a reason why he would like those certain things because having reasons makes it much more fun, right?**


	2. Pet Store Blues

**Oh my. I certainly wasn't expecting so many reviews so quickly, but I'm happy to have every single one believe me. I really do appreciate all the feedback and lovin this story is getting so I stayed up until… 5:28 am to finish chapter 2 after watching the new Harry Potter for the second time(in 3-D). Oh crap I need to get some sleep hahaha. Well before I do go to bed I just wanna say that this chapter was born from the idea of animal and evolved into some reeeeally random stuff, including the introduction of a character I'm going to write a story for when this is all over with. I don't even know anymore, so just read on.**

**(Also did not edit this one cuz its so late/early)**

In no time Superboy realized that the Boy Wonder was having a much better time than he was. According to Kid Flash, Robin hadn't had a pet since he met the Batman, and the kid absolutely loved animals-that much was obvious as soon as they got into the pet shop. The kid was all over those cages, cooing at the kittens and barking back at the puppies. He didn't know who was happier between the human and the animals.

Somehow, the young bird got hold of a fur ball and held the calico colored kitten up to the Boy of Steel's face. It mewed and licked his nose, earning another chuckle from the Boy Wonder. It's nose was rough, like sandpaper. Unpleasant.

"Well?" Robin asked aloud, cuddling with the calico criminal.

"Well what?" the clone asked haughtily as he wiped his nose with his arm roughly.

"What do you think of this little guy?" Robin paused and held the feline out to look at its underside. "Or girl- whatever it is."

"I don't like cats," he growled. The kitten purred under Robin's strokes and Superboy couldn't help but notice the way he smiled. Yeah, this kid adored the creature. "Well, I guess they aren't so bad."

"But not your first choice. Got it, moving on." It almost sounded like he was disappointed as he placed the feline back with the others, but he practically skipped over to the bird cages. "What about these guys?"

Superboy shook his head. "No."

"Alright alright," the younger chuckled as he bypassed the smaller creatures like the guinea pigs, hamster, and rabbits. "Well maybe your animal will just be, you know, a wild one? Doesn't have to be domesticated," the Boy Wonder pondered aloud while rubbing the back of his neck.

Then it donned on Superboy. The mission was to find out about one another. Robin wasn't supposed to be, as Kid Flash would say, "grinding" him for information.

"Robin," the clone began, the name odd on the tip of his tongue. Robin turned and smiled at him to acknowledge him. "What is _your_ favorite animal?"

Robin paused, eyes going wide for a moment before they heard a loud crash down one of the isles. The duo rushed to the commotion without a second thought and found an odd sight before them. A young boy, maybe Wally's age, with dark onyx hair, a blue streak in his bangs, was on his hands and knees with different pet-care items either on his back or encircling him. He opened his odd, steel gray eyes and looked below him where a border collie with beautiful tricolored fur was curled up around something. The canine looked up to the boy that had just protected her and whined, licking his face in concern.

"I-I'm alright, Terry," he moaned. The two boys rushed over to his aid, tossing the evil items that had previously assaulted him aside. Superboy pulled him up by the crook of his elbow, and Robin bent down to inspect the dog. She stood on all four paws, taking the wiggling creatures she had previously been guarding into her mouth and growling at them. Robin smirked at what he saw.

"Thanks," the boy said with a weak smile.

"It's fine," robin said, scratching the dog behind her ears. "But are you okay?"

"Wh-who me? Oh yeah I'm fine. Happens all the time," he chuckled nervously.

"Then shouldn't you be more careful?" Superboy interjected, his eyes never leaving the bruise on the kid's thin arms. He laughed nervously again and bent down to put the items back into place.

"Oh, I'm quite careful. However the God, whatever God it is, that looks down on me seems to love toying with me," he said, voice raspy and aggravated. Robin and Superboy each arched a single brow while helping him restack. "You really don't need to do that."

"Actually we do. See I noticed the signs on the cages and the glass saying not to touch the animals, buuuuuut I couldn't help it," he admitted. Superboy hadn't seen them. Then again he wasn't interested in the first place. "So this is kinda to make up for that."

The teen laughed, his eyes sparkling in the soft lighting before offering a hand to the boy behind the shades. "I'm Malachi," he said as an introduction.

"Rob," the Boy Wonder replied, taking the hand in his own and shaking.

Superboy noticed gray eyes staring up at him. Was the earthling expecting something from him? His blood? His undying friendship? Perhaps a lock of his hair?

"Conner!" Robin nervously blurted out. "His name's Conner! He uhh… He doesn't talk much."

The clone tilted his head. _And when exactly did we decide that?_ He mentally challenged his teammate, eyes conveying the message. Robin smiled nervously and shrugged, pointing the large bag of dog food beside him and the healthy looking golden retriever with a blue collar and golden bone-shaped tag with the name "Conner" on it. Superboy frowned. _First I'm an _it_ and now I'm a _dog_?_

"Conner? My brother's last dog was named Conner," Malachi said without thinking, placing the last can of cat food on the shelf.

"A-anyway, what were you doing under all that junk?" Robin said, purposely changing the subject. Good idea too.

"Oh that. Well I couldn't let these little guys get hurt now could I?" the black haired teen cooed while getting to his knees and taking the two "little guys" out of the border collie's mouth.

Superboy noticed Robin smile and looked over Malachi's shoulder as he stood, offering something to Robin, then turning to give the second "item" to Super- uhh- Conner.

"A rat?" Conner practically groaned.

"Conner," Robin said with amusement. "That's a puppy."

The Boy of Steel looked at Malachi's smiling face, left eye hidden behind his thick hair, then back to the creature licking at his hand. It was indeed a puppy. A white one at that. It's large black eyes stared up at him, begging for something with an audible whine, and it began to rub his head against the clone's chest. He held it out at arm's length, scowl marring his face, and stared at it.

"Nope, still looks like a rat to me," he said before giving the short-haired mutt back to its owner.

"Aww come on, Con. It's not so bad," Robin chirped while petting the canine in his hand. It was a German shepherd with, oddly enough, pure gray fur, and intelligent brown eyes. It nibbled on one of Robin's fingers and yipped happily, his tail wagging wildly. They were both larger than the puppies up front, meaning they were older.

"These guys aren't gonna be here much longer," Malachi announced, his expression changing from one of amusement to one of resentment.

"Were they adopted or whatever you call it?" Robin asked, stroking the calming canine gently.

"Nah," the shopkeeper groaned, leading them back to the front. He set the white rat in a kennel behind the cash register and climbed over it, sitting in the middle of the round, fenced off area. "They're too big and the shop owner doesn't think they'll ever get adopted, so she's sending them somewhere else. Won't tell me where though, so I know it can't be good." Terry leapt over the fence agilely and the shepherd howled as best as his immature body would allow as if he knew what they were talking about.

"That's awful!" the Boy Wonder exclaimed, holding onto his furrier gray rat tighter, as if it would be snatched away from him at that moment.

"I agree," Malachi said, watching as the white rat licked Terry's nose. She batted him away with a gentle nudge of her paw and sat dutifully beside her master. "I'd take them home, but I've got Terry and Todd and my brother Matt has Isis and Jason. I don't think mom would appreciate another addition."

"Wish I could take them, but I doubt my fa-uhh-guardian would allow it," Robin replied. And boy did he wish he could take that German shepherd home with him.

"It's alright," Malachi said, shaking his head.

"Well," Superboy cut in. "Why can't we?" He couldn't see Robin's eyes on the other side of those glasses, but Superboy knew the bird's eyes had gone wide. "What? It's not like there's a rule against it. No one said 'no pets' when I got here."

"Yeah, but I thinking you're forgetting something important. Starts with Red, ends with Tornado?" Robin whispered.

"Red Tornado?" the boy behind the small fence asked with a confused look on his face.

"Oh uhh, Conner's guardian… thing. I doubt he'd allow one, much less two dogs in the hall-house!" Damn the bat junior was so off his game today.

"You don't know that," Superboy shot back at the boy blunder.

"Well.. I uhh… Fine!" he gave in at Superboy's rebellious stare. "We'll ask him when we go back. Whatever."

"You don't need to do that," Malachi said, his eyes full of fret. "I don't want you to get in trouble or anything."

"I already decided. Just keep the rats here, got it?" Superboy demanded, plucking the gray pup from Robin's arms and dropping it into the odd teenager's lap. "We'll get them tomorrow. Now shut up and stop looking like that."

Malachi froze; dumbfounded while the older looking boy pulled his friend out of the store.

"S-Supey, what was all that about? I thought you didn't like those rats?" Robin asked once they heard the bell above the door ding, announcing it had closed. The clone mumbled something that the smaller boy couldn't hear without having Kryptonian abilities. "What was that?" he asked, getting closer to Superboy as they walked into a park.

"I said it wasn't scared of me!" he practically roared back. Robin hopped back a couple steps. "It… that… he just… stared at me!"

"What do you mean?" he asked in return, motioning for Superboy to sit on a bench. He refused, pacing in front of the unoccupied pile of wood while Robin shrugged and sat. Luckily it was a Sunday morning, meaning the inhabitants of Happy Harbor were either in some kind of church or temple, or at home with their family, leaving the park empty besides the two junior heroes.

"Like I said," the clone started up again, his eyes focused on the ground as he continued pacing. "It just stared at me with those big eyes. It even licked me. Like it knew thought wasn't dangerous. Like I couldn't crush it in one hand if I wanted."

Robin smiled, finally understanding the odd clone just a bit. He stood on the bench, now slightly taller than Superboy, and tapped his shoulder. "You liked him, didn't you?" The clone paused in his stride and turned up to face the thirteen year-old who seemed to have such a great handle on his emotions, unlike Superboy.

"Do I?" he mused.

"I think you do," Robin said with a genuine smile.

"Guess we found question number two?" Superboy mumbled.

"Guess so," the Boy Wonder nodded, hopping off the bench and signaling for Superboy to follow after him. "You aren't you know."

The clone glared at his companion from beside him. "Aren't what?"

"Dangerous."

Now this caught the clone's attention. Superboy: the Boy of Steel, clone of the greatest hero in the world. Not dangerous? Cadmus, Superman, and anyone who came into contact with his fist would beg to differ.

"I mean, you're powerful," Robin continued. "Yeah, incredibly so, but you are not dangerous."

"And how exactly did you come to this conclusion?" the clone asked mockingly.

"I got to know you," Robin stated simply.

"All you know is that I like blue, and I might not hate dogs," the larger boy scoffed.

"Not true. I know that you get nervous easily, and when that happens you tend to shout or act violently. I know that you don't like to be looked down upon or underestimated. I know when we first released you all you wanted was Superman's approval but never got it, and since then you've had dreams of either gaining it, or destroying the Man of Steel all together," Robin said with a smile. "Oh, and I also know you sleep in your closet and not the queen sized bed in your room with the sheets that have the Superman emblem all over it."

Superboy stopped in his tracks, dumbfounded. How the hell did this kid know all of that? It wasn't information he'd ever shared with anyone. Well, Kid Flash knew about the closet, and everyone knew how Superman had rejected him, but that was it. How could Robin have possibly known? He was perfectly human, not a Meta in anyway, nor was he a mid reading alien. "How did-"

"I've been watching you," Robin smirked. Not a 'haha' smirk like he usually gave, but a knowing smirk. Like Superboy wasn't catching something important and oh so obvious. "Listen Supes, all that stuff doesn't matter. Superman can go suck a disco stick, because you are not dangerous, and I've seen it. I know he doesn't trust you, but we all do. Kaldur, Artemis, Wally, Miss M."

"And you?" the clone asked solemnly, never taking his eyes off the Boy Wonder.

"Yup," Robin's grin grew. "Me too. Especially me."

Superboy nodded and began to follow his comrade once more. "Dogs aren't so bad."

"You think so?" Robin pondered. "Well, I guess if I had a pet, I'd want a dog too. You can train them, they're not as energetic as Wally, and they're really loyal."

"Yes, but that still doesn't answer my earlier question," the clone said with a smirk.

"Which was?"

"What is your favorite animal?" the clone restated.

"Oh that," Robin frowned, hopping up on a short wall and expertly balancing on it. "An elephant."

Superboy stared at him incredulously as he did a standing tuck, then a handstand. "An elephant?"

"Yup."

"Care to explain that one?"

"Well…" he started and paused, switching from his hands back to his feet. He looked at Superboy questioningly and wondered for a moment if he was okay with telling Superboy something not even Wally knew. After a few seconds he decided if anyone could keep a secret, it was him. "My parents took me to the circus this one time when I was a kid. They were busy all the time, so it was kind of a special day for me. When we got there, I saw this awesome show with a family of acrobats. One of them was a kid my age. Before the show, my mom and dad got business calls and told me to wait in front of the tent of course I wandered off and found the tent they kept the animals in. That kid acrobat was in there, playing with an elephant, and he let me ride it. It was the best day of my life."

Superboy was silent while Robin told his story and looked at him when he sighed. It couldn't have been too long ago seeing as the kid was only thirteen, but the memory seemed to haunt him a bit. His face had gone paler than usual.

"Wasn't expecting that," the clone said after a moment of silence as they reached an exit from the park and entered the streets of Happy Harbor once more. "Of course, I wasn't expecting to be named after a dog either."

"Oh, and for the record," Robin looked back at him as they came to a crosswalk, smirk once again in place, as if Superboy hadn't just said that last comment. "My favorite color is blue too."

**Ok if anyone can guess how I got the names for Malachi and his brother's pets I'll give you a huge hug. SoubixLoveless, you can NOT guess because you already know, and I know you know. Plus I'm always giving you virtual hugs.**

**Now I wanna give some shout outs to some reviewers, and if you're name isn't there don't take it personally, really.**

**Also, did anyone catch that little story Robin told? –hinthint- Part of it is half, half of it is something I totally made up.**

**Mystery Agent-** Thanks for all your great suggestions. I decided to use at least one of them because I think it would make for a fantastic chapter.

**Geek179-** I was thinking of using that Five for Fighting just for that song but thought it might be kinda cliché or something, however I rethought it and I might end up using it in the end.

**SilverCandles- **Wow thanks for the info. I was actually thinking the same exact thing about the static. I mean, I know he's a newborn but even they can't watch static all the time. And no thank you to the "Hello Megan." I love Megan, but the catchphrase irks me a bit.

**Jukori-** Thanks. And I was always planning on Robin giving some of his favorites, and there he goes spilling his guts. Gosh Rob, the Bat would be so disappointed in you teeheehee.

**SoubixLoveless-** No no no… Except you know in my head it's always HELL YEAH! Too bad for us it's only _friendship_.

**Quilledfeather- **Aww that would be so cute! And you know what you sly devil you? You just plucked at my native Hawaiian heartstrings with that Lilo and Stitch bit! I'm a sucker for the fluffy blue alien too.


	3. Robin

**So I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter done, but I was having serious trouble with a few things. But anyway I got it done and am currently working on Chap 4. On a side note, there will be another story after this and it will involve pairings, so I have a poll up on my page and I thought if anyone wants to read the continuation and want a say in the development you could do that, or just rev/pm me.**

**Also, some pairings/incidents/personality quirks will be brought up in this chapter, and if you think I'm bashing I apologize because that's not the way I meant for it to come off, but after rereading a couple of times (yeah I attempted to edit this time) I thought it may appear to look that way if you weren't reading from my point of view but I was not about to rewrite anything. This chapter is about Robin's past, his feelings, some of his relationships, and what he thinks about certain people and situations. Just what I imagine the inside of a 13 year-old Robin's mind may look like at the time.**

**So yeah, enjoy.**

* * *

><p><em>Make you say<br>Oh my, feels just like I don't try  
>Look so good I might die<br>All I know is everybody loves me  
>Head down, swaying to my own sound<br>Flashes in my face now  
>All I know is everybody loves me<em>

Robin snatched the cell he used when in his civvies out of his pocket. Batman knew he would be busy with Superboy today and wouldn't want to disturb them, Roy and Wally were the only two people outside of the Bat Family who knew this number, but Roy hadn't called him since he ditched them for his solo Red Arrow gig, and Wally was a bit busy trying not to strangle Artemis in Mount Justice with their little assignment, so it couldn't possibly be them right now. So it had to be someone from the Birds of Prey, or his adopted brother. Seeing as Oracle only called him when he was back in Gotham or during emergencies, the Boy Wonder surmised that the only person who could possibly be trying to contact him was-

'_NW_,' he read to himself. '_Nightwing, wonder what he wants at a time like this?'_

He was about to place the HTC SENSATION where it belonged in his back pocket in order to find another stack of books for Superboy to speed read through when he noticed two blue eyes staring at him.

"You can answer if it's important. Its fine," Superboy commented while pulling another random book from the top of his "must read" stacks. Robin almost laughed, forgetting that he had forced the clone to sit in a ridiculous chair that looked like a giraffe. He needed a place to sit after all, and the big comfy adult chairs in the bookstore were all occupied, and he was determined to make sure Supe-Conner- sat on something remotely comfortable that was not the floor.

"You sure?" Robin asked, feeling it vibrate in his hand before it began to sing again.

"No problem. Besides," he motioned to the miniature Wall of China the bird had built around him with a smorgasbord of literature. "I think I've got enough to read for now. And I do have my own two feet."

The children in the kid's corner giggled behind their books.

"Yeah, you're right," Robin laughed along, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll be back in a bit."

With that said the youngest of the Bat Family jogged out of the book store, almost colliding with a girl who held a stack of odd looking literature. Somehow he found his way to the rooftop of the three-story shop and rested his back against the fence that prevented anyone from falling… or jumping. It distinctly reminded him of the rooftops of those Japanese schools in the anime that Wally frequently watched-oh wait that was a secret. The phone rang once more and this time he answered without hesitation.

"Hi honey. How are things at the office," he chirped childishly into the phone. For a moment he wondered if his brother would play along without missing a beat as usual but decided that he wouldn't since this was his third call. Something was up with the older bird for sure.

"_Hahaha little brother," _the grim voice of Dick Grayson met his ears._ "Why didn't you answer the first time I called you?"_

"Well, why did you call me three times? Maybe I don't want to talk to you," he halfheartedly joked.

"_If that were the case, you wouldn't have answered the phone just now,"_ Dick replied instantly. Robin decided they knew each other too well sometimes.

'_Damn, he's got me there.'_

"_And you would have turned your phone off, bird brain,"_ the former Robin teased.

"No need to ruffle my feathers, _Dick_."

"_Oh Timmy," _Nightwing feigned hurt._ "Are you making fun of my name," _he laughed with what sounded like a tinge of malice in his deep chuckle.

"You sound like a moron. Anyway, how are things in Blüdhaven?" Timothy Drake asked, picking at his fingernails with his phone held between his shoulder and the side of his face. No matter what he did they always seemed to get dirty. He was pretty sure that Richard was also examining his nails.

"_Oh you know, same old same old," _Dick said on the other side of the line. _'Kicked some mobsters… butts; smacked around a few crime lords: the usual. Damn my nails are filthy."_

Tim noticed how forced Dick's words sounded, like he wanted to say something else, and arched a thin black eyebrow. He knew Blüdhaven was a violent city and the older hero didn't like talking to him about his crime fighting there when he could help it, so the discussion would be ending right about now. He didn't even swear in front of Tim, which was all fine and dandy in a way, but Tim hated that Dick couldn't talk in his usual fashion around him. The age thing was a bummer. The first time they talked about crime fighting Dick had spoken to Tim the way he would any ally, completely forgetting his age-it was easy with all of his accomplishments as Robin, his intelligence, not to mention they were great friends- but Bruce had heard, and he certainly wasn't happy with that. Nightwing was not the type to use profanity in every sentence, but that didn't change the fact that he did use it on occasion. Heck, everyone around Tim Drake swore, and he was use to it. Unfortunately, being 13 and all, Batman did not appreciate the first time he said _hell _much less _shit_ while on a mission.

It wasn't his fault that Two-Face used that kind of profanity and it rubbed off on him for a second now was it? And of course Bruce hadn't bought his temporary insanity plea.

In any case, Tim leaned back on the fence more and slouched a bit in the process. Batman hated whenever he slouched, so he never did… Around the Bat anyway.

"Is something wrong, Night?" he asked, his voice prominently laced with concern.

"_What makes you think something's wrong, Rob?" _he nervously chuckled.

"Well for one you are a grown man and you're voice just cracked," Nightwing groaned at that. He probably hoped his heir to the Robin throne hadn't heard it but nothing got pass that kid. "And for another thing you usually don't call me so much. You always give up after the first time if I don't answer and wait for me to call you back. But then you don't answer and it becomes this kind of vicious circle."

"_What? I always answer your-"_

"Vicious circle," the current Boy Wonder sang out with a hint of his lighthearted nature laced through it.

"_You sound like Jesse McCartney,"_ Nightwing deadpanned. He knew Tim hated when people pointed that out. He didn't hate the singer, just being compared to him. It wouldn't have been so bad if it was just Dick, but no. Dick had passed this bit of information on to Roy and Wally, and then Wally told everyone else on the team. Not that the team ever bothered him about it, but when the speedster was bored he'd play one of the songs he'd downloaded onto his itouch on a speaker and everyone, excluding Superboy and M'gann who didn't comprehend what was so bad about it, would laugh behind his back. What was worse was when people asked him to sing, but he wasn't going to get into that at the moment. That was a different kind of vicious circle.

"I'm hanging up now," he grumbled with no real heat behind his threat. Of course he wouldn't hang up on his brother and sometimes partner. If it weren't for him, Tim would have never been in his position as the current Robin in the first place.

"_Well don't do that,"_ Dick whined. He was probably playing with that ridiculously long hair of his. _"Oh, did I tell you I finally got a haircut?"_ Strike that. _"It almost got burnt off, so I just decided to chop it before any real damage was done."_

"Thank God, D, I was wondering if I'd have to take a pair of scissors to that mop in your sleep," Robin teased, snickering at the grunt from the older bird. "By the way, I kinda have someone waiting on me, so if you don't mind getting to the point of the conversation please?" Tim urged.

"_Oh yeah. Well…"_ he mumbled. _"I-I could just talk to you later if you're busy…"_ The young man trailed off.

"Dude, aren't you supposed to be older than me?" Tim imagined Dick rolling his eyes but nodding. "And yet you're getting nervous just talking to a thirteen year-old kid?" he chided, trying to annoy the topic out of the former Robin. _Hopefully it works._

"_Geez you always were rough on me. Well okay, I was just wondering," _there was a long pause afterward and Tim had to pull the phone away from his ear to make sure Dick was still there. _"H-how're _you_ doing?"_

That was obviously not what he wanted to ask. The bird brain chickened out of what Tim now knew was the reason he called. He wanted to know about Batman. Well no, he wanted to know about Bruce Wayne. Tim could always tell when the former Dynamic Duo had been in a fight. Just before the Hottest Bachelor in Gotham got home smelling of perfume and alcohol, Dick would send him a message saying-

"_G'night bro. Love you._

_-D"_

Tim shook his head. Those two really needed to work out their issues. Not only were they both heroes who worked together on occasion, they were father and son, although not by blood. Everyone in the Bat family had lost something, and that had brought them together in one way or another. Bruce, Dick and Tim had all lost their parents in some tragic accident. Luckily for Tim, his father was still with him, but he had always thought of Bruce as a second father as well as a mentor, Dick had been his brother from the beginning, and the others were his kin as well. It was just a natural instinct for a thirteen year-old to want his family to stay together; at least he thought so.

"_Yo, T-dawg?"_Nightwing called out. He knew Tim absolutely despised that name with every single fiber of his living being. If he could, he would give the name corporeal form and burn it to the ground._"Timmy?" _Dick called out for his brother once more, making him realize he had been silent for far too long.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I'm okay, just kinda confused I guess," Tim had responded without a second thought, clapping a hand over his mouth afterward.

"_About what?" _his brother asked curiously, an honestly concerned tone present.

'_Okay, Boy Wonder, think. How do you get out of this one? It's not like he'll tell me why they've been fighting for two months. When it comes to talking about feelings Dick can be even more evasive than Bruce when he really wants to be… Oh! Superboy! That's it!'_

"Well," he began, his voice rising an octave. "I've got this assignment to get to know one of my teammates better, we all do."

"_Oh yeah?" _he sounded genuinely curious. _"Who'd you get?" _

"One guess, bro. One guess. It's pretty ironic really," Tim challenged.

"_Challenge accepted!"_ He grew silent for a moment before analyzing the situation out loud in a whisper. _"Well you know Wally too well for _anyone's_ liking…"_ _**Anyone **_meant Bruce_. _

"Thas' right Govna'," Tim smirked at his awful British accent that frequently reminded the former Robin of a very specific enemy.

"_Man shut up. You know I hate Mad Mod, and I'm trying to think." _After Tim had fallen silent he continued. _"Let's see, Wally's out, and you pretty much know Kaldur, so it's between J'onn's niece-"_

"M'gann."

"_That crazy chick you think is infiltrating for the shadows-"_

"Artemis Crook. By the way, you told me you'd look into her for me," the Boy Wonder scolded.

"_Yeah yeah I know. I've been kinda busy with something though,"_ he mumbled. _"Hey, you're the brains of the family, why don't you do it?"_

Tim sighed, flicking a piece of lint off his hoodie. "I promised I wouldn't hack the computer in the Cave, and if I don't live up to my end of the bargain, I'll be grounded from missions with the team for a month! That would seriously kill me dude!"

Dick couldn't help but chuckle aloud, causing his brother to smile as well. At least he wasn't being awkward anymore. _"Alright dude, I'll check this Artemis chick out for you. Anyways, back to what I was saying. This Artemis chick-"_

A laugh erupted from the young hero-in-training. He couldn't help it though: Artemis and Wally were probably both bleeding out right now, throwing insults and objects at one another.

"_With that laugh I'm guessing she's with the Walls?" _Dick guessed correctly and Tim was rewarded with an even louder, sadistic cackle. _"Those two should just hook up already," _he sighed.

Tim froze as he sunk into a lower slouch. "Dude. That's sick."

"_Just call 'em as I see 'em little bro," _was Dick's amused response.

"First off, you can't even see them, second how in the world could those two possibly work?" Tim grumbled. Sure, Richard Grayson took after Bruce Wayne in one way(being a total lady's man) so he knew more about women and relationships, but how could anyone think that _Waltemis_ would ever happen? That would just be one huge disaster. Sure, couples needed to be different-have a relatively different approach and outlook on certain aspects of life-but those two were just way too different; Polar opposites. And although he had once heard Dick say the phrase _'opposites attract' _he doubted Artemis would pull the stick out of her ass long enough for her to notice awesome KF really was, and Wally's mind bounced around different girls too fast to ever be trained on the blond archer. Not that Wally was a man slut like the men in Tim's secondary family, but he was a speedster with hyperactive hormones. Tim never judged his family or his best friend when it came to their attitude with women in the least bit, it was simply the way they were born to be, but he had never seen the point in chasing after skirts. Being in a relationship was just too full of drama for the little bird.

Take Dick's past relationships for example: he had been engaged to Koriand'r and Oracle-Starfire and Barbara Gordon respectively-and that had all gone down the crapper eventually. He'd dated and had one night stands, he'd even attempted homosexuality(which never surprised Tim) much to many of his friends chagrin. The results: Koriand'r running off to her home planet for a while, Babs and he had broken it off, he was currently single, and his ex from his gay period was hanging around with his first fiancée. Honestly, it was a mystery that he wasn't an emotional wreck, but also appreciated. If Tim had to pick up those pieces he'd probably end up a jaded adult with no tolerance for a romantic relationship. Though without his own experience he couldn't truly fathom-so he was just peachy with being a thirteen-year old kid with no firsthand knowledge of heartbreak. In fact, he preferred it.

"Yeah," he mumbled before finally sprawling full out on the roof. "I'm so not ready for girl drama."

"_Just give it a year or two and you will be, now shut up so I can think. Guess it's between that martian chick-"_

"Once again, M'gann."

"_And Superclone," _Dick chuckled, thinking his nickname for Tim's friend was clever. It so was _not_.

"His name is Superboy!" the teen all but shouted into the phone. "Or Supes… Or Supey… Possibly Conner… If he isn't too pissed with me that is."

"_Sorry dude, didn't mean to step on your toes," _Dick smirked on the other side. _"I'm guessing you're with him then?" _The silence was answer enough. _"So how's it going with Super jr?"_

"Fine I guess. Although I should really get back, Dick," Tim replied apologetically. He didn't want to hang up on his brother, but he did wish to get back to the clone three levels below him. He was probably bored stiff and about ready to leave if he hadn't already.

"_Yeah, I hear you. Say hi to-err-people… for me…" _Dick nervously chuckled on the other end, hopelessly wishing that Tim hadn't caught his awkward hesitation.

"I will. Tell Babs I'll call her later this week. And Night?"

"_Yeah Big T?"_

"He misses you too," Tim smiled. He obviously couldn't see it, but he knew Nightwing was beaming right back at him.

"_Later, runt,"_ were the last words Tim had heard. Hopefully he had helped Bruce and Richard's healing process a bit. When those two were suffering, the entire family suffered.

For a few minutes Tim just sat in silence. His phone had been pocketed, and his hands were resting on his knees. He had to deal with the rest of the day as delicately as possible. Superboy deserved some time off from missions, training, and brooding, so he was going to give it to him, and they were going to discover a few of Superboy's favorite things along the way.

Tim glanced at his watch and read 11:43. They'd definitely get everything done by the end of the day. With that thought in mind, Robin headed back down to his newfound friend. He had lost track talking to Dick for so long that by the time he got downstairs, Conner was not where he left him. He had moved, well Tim assumed he'd been forced, over to the sitting area in the corner of the room. What really shocked the shaded hero was not where he was, but what he was doing.

With children to his left and right, some in his lap, clinging to his muscular arms, the clone sat quiet and motionless, eyes slightly wide at a television screen. The area he'd been in had been cleaned up, with a single book left behind on the chair. Robin took the book and sat behind the child to Conner's immediate right.

"What're we watching?" he asked, gaining a joint _"shhhhhh" _from the seven children surrounding his teammate.

Conner's eyes never left the screen, which currently showed a scrawny, blue eyed, orange haired kid in a toga being trained by a fat, singing satyr. _Hercules; the Disney movie with very little amount of actual Greece mythology._ It was one of Wally's favorites, but Tim had never seen the appeal, kinda like their opinion on women. Instead of voicing his opinion on the movie, Tim silently sat and frequently flicked his eyes from the television to Superboy's stern, unwavering eyes. They were so focused on the screen that Robin couldn't help but watch the movie. Sure, it was no _Count of Monte Cristo_, but he'd seen worse. Oh yeah, Babs making him sit through a full session of _27 Dresses_. Needless to say he avoided movie night with the former Batgirl from that moment on.

The children surrounding Tim's teammate almost made him release the chuckle he'd been concealing behind his tightly shut lips. The Boy Wonder wasn't very good with kids, but he had to admit that they were quite adorable. They gasped and hid their faces whenever something they dubbed "scary" happened. When something funny, like when the Pegasus took to the skies with as much speed as he could muster despite Megara's pleading and messed up her hair, they erupted with an infectious laughter that even had Robin letting his guise fall for brief moments. And when Hades' failed attempts at killing "Wonder Boy" failed they jeered at the God of the Underworld, and cheered their hero on. All in all, Robin could not help but be charmed by them, especially the frightened little girl who had been sitting alone in a corner, entranced by the movie but apparently ostracized by the other kids because she was obviously smaller and wore large round glasses with two cute vibrant red braids falling off each shoulder- undoubtedly she was dorkier than the others who had been reading picture books while she read _Nancy Drew_ books. Yet somehow despite her obvious reluctance to join in the festivities, Robin felt her presence behind him. When Hades blew his top and had become a bright crimson self instead of his normally azure state, she had grasped his hood tightly, causing him to secretly smile. And even more surprising, she has wound up sitting beside Robin, hands tightly wrapped in his blue hoodie, while his arm protectively rested around her slim shoulders.

By the time the movie was over, she had mysteriously ended up comfortably in his lap while he lightly encased her with his arms, and the two teens had to pry their little ankle biters from their bodies. Their parents had shown up just in time to offer different incentives to release the two teenage boys- such as ice cream, cookies, and the like.

The crimson haired child, who Tim guessed was only around five or six, had easily relinquished her hold on him and had gone back to her seat in order to continue her previous reading. Tim found it odd that her parents had yet to arrive, and kneeled to her eye level despite Conner's grunt of annoyance. Her bright gray irises sparkled in the bookstore's soft lighting and Tim could not help but smile.

"Hi, what's your name?" he asked sweetly.

No response.

"My names Robin," he tried again. Her intelligent eyes spared him a glance. "And that there is my very good friend, Conner."

"R-Robin?" came her shy reply.

Tim nodded, reaffirming his name.

"L-like the bird?" she asked. "Or the superhero?"

"Like the bird," he replied, offering a gentle smile.

"My daddy said not to talk to weird boys," the young girl quickly whispered, eyes nervously darting. "A-and my uncle is a superhero. He says he'll beat anyone up who even looks at me wrong!"

Conner gave another irritated grunt, but Tim paid him no mind.

"Well then your uncle is a very good man," Robin said, his smile never faltering. "See, I just want to know if someone will be by to pick you up soon. Don't want you here all alone, you know? People even weirder than us might come along."

"Hope!" the two boys heard a familiar voice ring through the children's corner. Their eyes traveled to the voice and surprise surprise, there stood the young man they had seen in the pet store.

"Uncle Malachai!" the girl excitedly hoped out of her chair and ran to the teen who smelled faintly of dog shampoo. "You took so long!"

Malachai's stone gray eyes met his nieces matching ones and he smiled brilliantly as he lifted her from the ground and spun in a circle once before his legs seemed to falter. "Sorry Hope, Uncle Mal had to work an extra half hour because the person who was supposed to cover my shift was chasing dragons all morning long."

The girl the two teen heroes now knew was Hope frowned. Her brows furrowed with distraught and disbelief. "Uncle Mal, dragons do not exist," she countered, arms crossed, causing the dark haired teen to gasp as he shifted her in his arms.

"What are you talking about? Of course dragons are real!" Tim replied. Malachi seemed to notice the other two and smiled at them.

"See? Even Rob and Conner know! How can you say they don't exist?"

Hope seemed to think it over, her eyes scanning all three faces. Finally, she gave up and hugged her uncle's neck. "I don't care, I just want to go back to your place so you can make some pasta!" the little girl exclaimed as she bounced a bit.

"I knew you only loved me for my food," the odd teen chuckled before glancing at the two heroes. "Thanks for taking care of the little runt guys."

Robin smirked, his hands now in his pockets. "No problem. She's awesome."

Malachi smiled as they bid their goodbyes. Conner had only offered a curt nod and looked away. The clone quickly realized his teammate had been holding onto the book he had set aside for further research. Despite his wide range of encyclopedic knowledge from wars to plant names, Superboy had no idea how to handle the subject covered in the yellow paperback book in Robin's clutches. The Boy Wonder, back from his high on children, found Conner staring at his chest, and remembered the literature he was hugging to his torso.

"Did you want this?" Robin asked, his eyes trained on Conner's behind his shades like a hawk. He noticed then something he hadn't before; Superboy had incredibly expressive eyes. It was new to him; seeing his eyebrows furrow in frustration and uncertainty, his lips pursed tightly-forcefully. Like he wanted to say something but wouldn't allow himself to.

"I-yes-no… I don't know," he grunted, crossing his arms and glaring at a random spot on the floor. "It's stupid."

"It's not stupid, Conner."

The clone cocked a thick black brow at that.

"Sorry, I don't really know what to call you yet. Your hero name isn't really appropriate for public," Robin whispered as a teen couple passed them.

"The name is fine," the clone sighed. His problem was now obvious to the Boy Wonder, the solution even more so. "Never mind, let's just go. I don't need it or anything."

By the time the clone looked up from the spot on the floor his partner was gone without a trace- not an uncommon feat for Batman's protégé. Superboy's eyes darted around the room with alert. Had he just disappeared or had he been taken while the clone had not been paying attention?

"Con," Robin called from behind him. The larger team flinched and whipped around to see his partner. He sighed in relief. Robin only chuckled. "Alright there?"

"Can you just not do that when we're not fighting," Conner said while shaking his head. "I thought someone kidnapped you or something."

"Sure," the bird chuckled. A brown paper bag hung from his right hand, which Superboy took full notice of.

"What's that," Conner asked cautiously.

"What, this?" he taunted, waving the bag before the larger male. "A present for you."

Setting the bag in Superboy's hands, Robin could only smile. Superboy was openly suspicious, but delved into the secrets of the mystery bag anyway. It was heavier than he thought, and the shuffling from inside indicated two books at least. The first book he pulled out was the canary-yellow book he'd set aside while Robin was outside entitled _The Grammar of Society: The Nature and Dynamics of Social Norm_ written by a Cristina Bicchieri. The second was a very thick book with a dark, mysterious cover. _Crime and Punishment_ written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

"What's this one?" the clone asked, holding up the foreign literature he hadn't seen in his stacks before.

"_Crime and Punishment_. Thought you might like to know my favorite book as well," the Boy Wonder said while absentmindedly picking at his fingernails once more.

"Did you buy these?" Superboy inquired with something akin to concern laced in his deep voice.

"Yeah. Don't worry, it's no big deal, really. Just think of it as a gift from one friend to another," Robin said with ease, erasing any doubt Conner may have had. He began exiting the bookstore,, whistling his ringtone to himself when he realized he had only taken a piece of toast as his breakfast that morning and it was now catching up with him. "Hey, Con?"

The clone only looked up at the odd sound of his new name.

"You mind if we go out of order on this list? I'm kinda hungry," Robin asked, his hand on his stomach for emphasis. He already knew the answer, but he pouted anyway just in case.

Superboy shrugged as they turned a corner on the sidewalk, the little bird scanning the streets for somewhere he deemed satisfactory while his partner simply followed, thinking how Robin had been guiding him everywhere, like a leader should. The way he imagined a father would probably do.

* * *

><p><strong>Last chapter it was puppies and this chapter it was children. What will I do next? This is Mal's last appearance… Don't even know how he and Hope wiggled their way in there.<strong>

**Yes I made incredibly obvious references but I don't care, I found them incredibly lame while talking to a friend about them, and she convinced me to somehow leave every single one of them in there. The magic of friendship~**


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